12-26-2021, 02:32 PM
Me again 
Watched with my husband now. Second time round I pretty much loved it. He did too. I thought the cgi was pretty great and not cheesy or weak. And I got a better look at the Seanchan helmets this time. I want one too now XD
Question! How much did Moiraine really know about the identity of the dragon??
She makes a point of saying the sa’angreal was created by male channelers. We know this is the sa'angreal we see her wrap in cloth and pack at the beginning. If she didn’t think the dragon was going to be male, why did she have it? There’s no indication she has a female sa’angreal (if she did there’s no chance she wouldn’t have used it herself before now).
I’m really starting to think that Moiraine personally suspected Rand from almost the beginning and that this obfuscation was the biggest example of unreliable narration in the series. She was never 100% sure – the prophecies are varied, unreliable, and tampered with by darkfriends – but I wonder if she manipulated and used that uncertainty so she could misdirect everyone around her and the audience. She never admits who she thinks it is. Not once, and not even to Suian. She nearly always relates it back to what the “prophecies” say, which is to say “potentially” the dragon could be lots of things.
Even when Rand says he thinks she thought it was Egwene, she doesn’t answer. In the face of a male dragon, who wouldn’t have hoped for a woman. And if we’re going to be really ruthless, Egwene as a powerful channeler in her own right , and more importantly one who is tied and loyal to the White Tower, is their best shot at controlling Rand as dragon, and perhaps staving off the madness for long enough for him to do his job. Everyone, including Ishy, realises that at this point Egwene is the most important thing in Rand's life.
I also think there is evidence that she wanted Rand to come to the conclusion on his own, and take responsibility for it too. No box here, he has to make the decision for himself. What Asc said before, about her not telling them Machin Shin told lies, but just to put it from their minds. I wonder if she was waiting for Rand to come to her. And the explanation Fain finally gave for ta’veren (also, interesting that at this point he names Rand as the dragon). Moiraine knew that too. She knew she needed them all, even if she suspected which one of them was the dragon.
I can’t decide if it’s absolutely masterful or I’m just overreaching how clever and manipulative Moiraine is (or how intricate the writing is).
About the horn, I think it being under the throne was a simplification. Maybe they’ll just dispense with the hunters. The heroes still seem to be part of the public mythos (the Bigitte doll) and it’ll still have to be retrieved from Fain. The “Lord Yakota” character may have also had a part to play in that bit feeling a bit weak. He was supposed to be Ingtar, but was renamed due to the actor being unavailable for season 2. The thing I actually disliked most about it was the insistence that it should be saved for the dragon. Uh, hello, your city is on its knees. Fuck the prophecy, someone just blow the thing. Oh, wait, no... okay, sure, let's go and investigate that noise in the hall. It'll be safe right here *pat pat*
Also wondered if it's actually in the box since we never see it XD
Still didn’t like Egwene healing Nynaeve. If Nynaeve was only “mostly” dead that should have been far clearer, and I think it would have made for a more powerful scene too. The connections, bonds, and different forms of love between the characters is a wonderful highlight for me. Showing how much the girls love and fight for one another is beautiful but the scene just missed the mark and fell into cheap thrill territory. It's a shame because the scene of them crying and holding one another in the middle of the carnage was pretty emotive otherwise.
Asc, shall we set up an Ishy fanclub? I’m smitten XD
I have another question, this one about what went down at the Eye 3000 years ago. Because by what Rand saw, Lews really did meet Ishy there. So what actually happened? What IS the Eye and why did darkfriends purge all records from the Tower library?
Oh, and final thought, about the Aes Sedai who beat Moiraine into channeling. Do we think Elaida? Because now Moiraine is shielded (and I wonder if she is not sure herself whether it’s that or a stilling, she will never have been shielded by a man) I wonder if she might seek this woman out to help her channel again.
Watched with my husband now. Second time round I pretty much loved it. He did too. I thought the cgi was pretty great and not cheesy or weak. And I got a better look at the Seanchan helmets this time. I want one too now XD
Question! How much did Moiraine really know about the identity of the dragon??
She makes a point of saying the sa’angreal was created by male channelers. We know this is the sa'angreal we see her wrap in cloth and pack at the beginning. If she didn’t think the dragon was going to be male, why did she have it? There’s no indication she has a female sa’angreal (if she did there’s no chance she wouldn’t have used it herself before now).
I’m really starting to think that Moiraine personally suspected Rand from almost the beginning and that this obfuscation was the biggest example of unreliable narration in the series. She was never 100% sure – the prophecies are varied, unreliable, and tampered with by darkfriends – but I wonder if she manipulated and used that uncertainty so she could misdirect everyone around her and the audience. She never admits who she thinks it is. Not once, and not even to Suian. She nearly always relates it back to what the “prophecies” say, which is to say “potentially” the dragon could be lots of things.
Even when Rand says he thinks she thought it was Egwene, she doesn’t answer. In the face of a male dragon, who wouldn’t have hoped for a woman. And if we’re going to be really ruthless, Egwene as a powerful channeler in her own right , and more importantly one who is tied and loyal to the White Tower, is their best shot at controlling Rand as dragon, and perhaps staving off the madness for long enough for him to do his job. Everyone, including Ishy, realises that at this point Egwene is the most important thing in Rand's life.
I also think there is evidence that she wanted Rand to come to the conclusion on his own, and take responsibility for it too. No box here, he has to make the decision for himself. What Asc said before, about her not telling them Machin Shin told lies, but just to put it from their minds. I wonder if she was waiting for Rand to come to her. And the explanation Fain finally gave for ta’veren (also, interesting that at this point he names Rand as the dragon). Moiraine knew that too. She knew she needed them all, even if she suspected which one of them was the dragon.
I can’t decide if it’s absolutely masterful or I’m just overreaching how clever and manipulative Moiraine is (or how intricate the writing is).
About the horn, I think it being under the throne was a simplification. Maybe they’ll just dispense with the hunters. The heroes still seem to be part of the public mythos (the Bigitte doll) and it’ll still have to be retrieved from Fain. The “Lord Yakota” character may have also had a part to play in that bit feeling a bit weak. He was supposed to be Ingtar, but was renamed due to the actor being unavailable for season 2. The thing I actually disliked most about it was the insistence that it should be saved for the dragon. Uh, hello, your city is on its knees. Fuck the prophecy, someone just blow the thing. Oh, wait, no... okay, sure, let's go and investigate that noise in the hall. It'll be safe right here *pat pat*
Also wondered if it's actually in the box since we never see it XD
Still didn’t like Egwene healing Nynaeve. If Nynaeve was only “mostly” dead that should have been far clearer, and I think it would have made for a more powerful scene too. The connections, bonds, and different forms of love between the characters is a wonderful highlight for me. Showing how much the girls love and fight for one another is beautiful but the scene just missed the mark and fell into cheap thrill territory. It's a shame because the scene of them crying and holding one another in the middle of the carnage was pretty emotive otherwise.
Asc, shall we set up an Ishy fanclub? I’m smitten XD
I have another question, this one about what went down at the Eye 3000 years ago. Because by what Rand saw, Lews really did meet Ishy there. So what actually happened? What IS the Eye and why did darkfriends purge all records from the Tower library?
Oh, and final thought, about the Aes Sedai who beat Moiraine into channeling. Do we think Elaida? Because now Moiraine is shielded (and I wonder if she is not sure herself whether it’s that or a stilling, she will never have been shielded by a man) I wonder if she might seek this woman out to help her channel again.
![[Image: thal-banner-scaled.jpg]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/thal-banner-scaled.jpg)